Page images
PDF
EPUB

persons inside, with their faces to each other, and three or four on the top. They are mostly fitted up very nicely inside, lined principally with a kind of plush, something like velvet, either red or green; many of them have a lamp at the end; and to the great mass of London population are a very great comfort. The price charged is sixpence for each person, and for this sum you may ride from below Islington to Charing Cross, about five miles, and from the East India Docks to Oxford Street, which is about six miles, for the same. But although you may ride this distance, and many do, yet the greater proportion only ride about half the distance; and the calculation is made by the proprietor, that they will in a journey of that length have two separate loadings. It is quite amusing sometimes to see a stranger get into one of these vehicles, and desire to be set down at a named place, which perhaps is not more than a quarter of a mile from the spot where he got in. The better plan for a stranger to pursue is to ascertain that the Omnibus he gets into is nearly full, then will he be sure, if there is no accident, to reach his desired object rapidly. But should he get into one nearly empty, he will be annoyed by finding that his journey will be indeed a long one; for, although there is a heavy penalty against their stopping at any except particular places, or to take up a passenger; still they evade the law by not indeed

stopping, but moving at such a pace that one could with ease get on twice as fast by walking. The greatest number that run in any direction are from Paddington to the Bank, which is quite five miles, and a very bad road to travel, as there are steep hills. They run about one in every three minutes, from soon after eight in the morning until after ten at night. In addition to the first cost of the Omnibus and harness, we must add that of the horses; and, although the Omnibus is only drawn by two horses, every proprietor of two Omnibusses is obliged to keep at least seven horses, so as to give the proper rest to enable them to drag these heavy loads. The Omnibus weighs about 17 cwt. of 112 lbs., and eighteen passengers, a driver and a conductor, would weigh more than a ton; so that they have, a great portion of their journeys, to drag nearly two tons weight, at an average speed of more than six miles an hour. The cost, then, of two Omnibusses, and their harness for horses, would be at least £250; the seven horses would cost quite £25 each; there are the daily wages of the driver and conductor (the latter receives 4s. a day). Then there is the keep of each horse, which at least, to keep them in good condition, would amount to 1s. 6d. a day each. There is the constant wear and tear of machines and harness, the shoeing of the horses, the mileage duty which they pay for running, the turnpikes, the accidents,

the occasional fines for breaches of law; and it is wonderful how, with sixpenny fares, they can make it pay them. But although a doubtful speculation to the owners, to the public they are a very great accommodation; from every place within four miles of London they are constantly running, and at several periods of the day they have quite different classes of customers. At about a quarter before nine you will see all the Omnibusses approaching the neighbourhood of the Bank with sober-looking business-like persons, who are principally clerks in the Bank of England, the numerous private banking houses, or some of the thousand mercantile firms in that vicinity. At first sight it appears extravagant that you should daily see the same persons, at the same hour, alight from the same vehicle, and you think it a lavish daily expenditure; but most of them are married men with large families, who reside in a neighbourhood where they can have a commodious house in an airy situation at a moderate rent, which enables them to add the six shillings per week which they pay for riding to the article of rent, and even then they can get a house at nearly half what they would pay for one in a confined situation nearer to their business. At about ten, or half past, you see men a little gayer in their attire, a great deal stiffer in their manners, and who seem to think themselves very great men; these are the upper clerks and cashiers of

banking houses. About this time, too, you will see smirking, priggish-looking men "arriving in great numbers, many of them, if not Jews, looking to have a cross of the Israelite in their blood: should you happen to be in the same Omnibus with them, you can immediately detect them; should an intimate friend get into the Omnibus, they will play some quiet practical joke upon him as he passes, either by putting out their feet to cause him to stumble, pulling his coat tail, or some boyish freak to get their hands in for their childish play, when they get to kicking each other's hats to pieces in their room for business. Some of these are members of the Stock Exchange, where money operations are transacted. The next lot consists of the principals of firms, who ride up in the Omnibus to their house of business in the morning, and their wives and daughters come about two or three in the afternoon, in their own carriages, to fetch them for a drive in their way home. Most of these persons are daily taken up at their own doors; and at the several hours of three, four, five and six, may be seen progressing to the side of the Bank to re-enter their vehicles, upon their return to spend a pleasant evening in the bosom of their families. Very few ladies are to be met with in Omnibusses; they do occasionally ride in them, but only in or out of town. To travellers in quest of orders, visitors to London who wish to see all they can as

soon as time will admit, and at as cheap a rate as possible, Omnibusses are of very great advantage.

We were also much surprised to see standing in the middle of the principal streets a very great number of carriages drawn by two, and smaller ones by a single horse, all of which are for hire; and for very small sums you can go to any distance you please. The larger ones are called Hackney-coaches, and the little ones are called Cabs. Their drivers are very apt to impose, and the law has fixed what they are to charge; and they are heavily fined if they demand more than they ought to do. Their rates are as follows:-For Hackney-coaches, any distance not exceeding one mile, one shilling; and for any distance exceeding one mile after the rate of sixpence for every half mile, or any fractional part of half-a-mile. But as many persons who hire them wish to call upon their friends, and pay a visit, and prefer the coach to wait for them, the following is their fares computed by time :

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

and so on, for any time not exceeding three

« PreviousContinue »